In making the move from a 19th-century London mews to a 21st-century condo in Washington, D.C., an American businessman learns that he needs a little design expertise

Living Room

Living Room

For most people, relocating from a 19th-century London mews house on a cobblestone cul-de-sac to a high-rise apartment in Washington, D.C., would require a leap of faith—not to mention a discerning interior designer to ease the transition.

When David Baumunk, an American business consultant who had lived abroad for almost three decades, looked around the loftlike condominium he bought in 2009 in the capital's historic-turned-hip U Street Corridor, he felt overwhelmed. The long, expansive spaces, 10-foot-high ceilings, exposed ductwork, and floor-to-ceiling windows were nothing like the small, cozy rooms in the two-story house near Hyde Park where he had lived for the previous 12 years. "I had this huge space that didn't lend itself to the way everything was arranged in my little mews house," Baumunk says. "I just didn't know where to put anything."

The living area of David Baumunk's Washington, D.C., apartment, which was designed by Nestor Santa-Cruz; the sofa is custom-made, and the bergère and stool are in the style of Jean-Michel Frank. The reproduction Khotan rug is layered on a custom-made sisal by J Brooks Designer Floors.

Typographer's Table

Typographer's Table

To help configure the 1,600-square-foot apartment, which included a 900-square-foot terrace, he called on Nestor Santa-Cruz, a Cuba-born, Washington-based designer known for creating serene, uncluttered interiors that draw inspiration from Jean-Michel Frank, the influential Parisian designer of the 1930s. "David had a good layout with an eastern exposure that flooded the apartment with light," Santa-Cruz says. "I knew we could work together to make the space compelling without major renovations."

Which was fine with Baumunk, who was eager to unpack boxes filled with personal treasures amassed from Portobello Road antiques shops, Paris flea markets, and Moroccan souks, and then sink into one of his oversize vintage English leather chairs and enjoy his new surroundings. He envisioned a place that combined the comfort of his London nest with a sophistication and panache befitting a more contemporary, open environment.

The antique typographer’s table and a 1940s painting of a jockey are French, and the armchair is by Hickory Chair.